Momma, I've Been Cryin'
by DarkSeductress
Summary: Richie examines how things between him and Virgil have changed, since they had sex. The boys are in their senior year of high school this only matters for timeline purposes, because this is the first of many. And Sharon knows about Static and Gear. 3 of 3
1. Momma, I've Been Cryin'

July 27, 2005

Fandom: Static Shock

"Momma, I've Been Cryin'"

By: DarkSeductress

Pairing: Virgil/Richie

Part 1 of 3.

Disclaimer: Sadly enough, Static Shock does not belong to me. Lyric excerpt is take from "The Sun" by Maroon 5.

Summary: Richie examines how things between him and Virgil have changed, since they had sex. The boys are in their senior year of high school (this only matters for timeline purposes, because this is the first of many). And Sharon knows about Static and Gear.

And sometimes it's a sad song

But I can not forget

Refuse to regret

Am so glad I met you

And take my breath away

Make everyday worth all of the pain

That I've gone through

And Momma, I've been cryin'

Cause things ain't how they used to be

She said, "The battles almost won,

And we're only several miles from the sun."

Richie's eyes were red. So red you could see it through his glasses, if you cared to notice. And lately it seemed everyone noticed. Since it was spring he easily lied to everyone and blamed it on seasonal allergies. Most people believe him, despite the fact he'd never had spring allergies before. Even Mr. Hawkins seemed appeased with his answer.

But when he had mistakenly taken off his glasses in front of his mom and she asked him why his eyes looked so raw, he couldn't lie to her. He had already lied to her so much about almost everything concerning his life. So when she asked him in that soft tone, only a worried mother can pull off, he wanted to tell her the truth. Besides, his mind added as an afterthought, she knows he doesn't have allergies.

So Richie opened his mouth. Then he closed it.

Then he said, "I've been crying," in such a flat, calm voice that he even surprised himself.

Next thing he knew, she had abandoned the dishes she had been washing to pull a chair beside him and grab his hand. Her hand was wet and sudsy, he noted absently.

When she said, "Sweetie," followed by, "what's wrong," he cringed at the soft tone and suddenly felt like a girl. He felt like a girl because he had just admitted to crying aloud and the reasons for said crying were absolutely stupid and embarrassing. Suddenly lying to his mother seemed like a great idea.

But instead of lying he settled for ambiguity and mumbled, "Things...Just ain't how they used to be..." He let the statement hang in the air as he gently wrenched his hand away and stood to move towards the fridge. She could draw her own conclusion, maybe she'd think he was stressing over preparing for college. Just anything but the truth. He'd always let her do it in the past and it seemed to work, so there was no need to break tradition.

He almost dropped the cup in his hand when she asked him, "Is there something wrong between you and Virgil?"

She couldn't possibly know, could she? His thoughts spun wildly until he rationalized that there was no possible way she could know. He was just being paranoid. But the look she was giving him, it was so strained and knowing as if there was more she wanted to say.

But she merely shrugged at his expression, "You haven't stayed over to his house in weeks. And in those weeks, you've been moping around here. Your fathers thinks you've moved on and just grown up. But I _know_ something's wrong."

Her last statement hung in the air. At that moment both parts of Richie's brain, the rational and irrational, agreed that she knew something. With that tone to her voice she had to know _everything_ and was just waiting for him to confess, to confide in her. Something Richie wasn't sure he could do without making them both extremely uncomfortable. He just couldn't say, 'Mom, you're absolutely right. Virgil fucked me a few weeks ago and now everything's weird because neither of use want to talk about it. Oh and by the way did I mention I was gay?'

But then again, if she already knew, maybe he could say that. She'd only turn red, have an aneurysm on the brain and die. Especially if he said it like that.

Suddenly he was speaking without thinking, "We had a fight." It wasn't actually a lie. They were having a fight of sorts, just without all the words and yelling (though Richie was sure that would come later). At the same time he thought how sad it was, that he could lie without thinking about. It was almost second nature.

The expression on her face told him, she knew he was feeding her bullshit, "Must have been a bad fight."

"Yeah. It was." Richie turned his back to her as he spoke and proceeded to pour soda in his cup. He could never lie to her face. It was better if his back saw what his face didn't want to see, the pain of a mother with a son, who held too many damn secrets. He sipped his soda as he listened to her sigh before moving back to the dishes.

Richie gripped his cup. Another failed attempt as always. Her waiting and him running as fast as he fucking could. There was his chance once again to be honest, to reconnect with his mother after all these years of deceit and he just let it slip away. History is nothing but a damn endless waltz, just repeating itself over and over 1. The story of his lousy life. And just like that he was angry at everyone. At himself for not letting her in. At her for being too nice to pry. At Virgil for ruining the balance of his life.

He emptied his cup before moving to sit it in the sink. He could feel her eyes on him as he walked towards the doorway leading into the living room.

But he paused as she sighed loudly, "Richie..."

He turned to look at her, "Mom?"

Their eyes met.

"Richie, I love you and that will never change regardless of anything. So if there's anything...if you want to...regardless of what...just..." Her voice dropped off to a whisper as she fumbled for words to convey her feelings, "I'm here. Okay?"

Richie looked away. She was trying. Again. But he couldn't bring himself to let her in. He decided for all his genius and super-hero antics, he was a coward. He nodded, "Okay," before retreating from the kitchen. He was almost certain now that she knew he was gay, knew what happened between him and Virgil, and most likely knew he was Gear.

He also knew she'd never say a damn word about any of it, unless he admitted to it all. And he really wanted to tell her because keeping secrets hurt. Especially now that the only person who knew all of his secrets had alienated themself from him. That hurt worse, thus the tears of girly anguish.

Richie muttered a few profane words as he flounced on his bed face first. This was all so stupid. Whoever said sex doesn't change a friendship, didn't know what the fuck they were talking about.

Nothing was the same. Sex changed everything. And that's exactly what they had. No love making. Just hot sex, after the patrol from hell.

Richie remembered it vividly. It seemed every damn bang baby within Dakota City had come out of hibernation and just wouldn't go away. At first Virgil and him were amused, it seemed Ebon had called an open casting call for knew recruits but the amusement quickly gave way to frustration and annoyance. The night had ended with Virgil getting hit by a zap cap and Richie landing in a dumpster. Virgil had tried to laugh it off but Richie was pissed, especially when Virgil went to touch his shoulder but only let his hand hover over it. It seemed in that moment all of Richie's anger at Virgil's odd behavior since finding out he was gay combusted. It had been 6 damn months and Virgil still couldn't allow himself to throw a casual arm around Richie's shoulders.

So as soon as they reached the gas station of solitude, the argument had begun all over Virgil's lack of physical contact. It escalated into a nasty fight, ending with Richie trapped under Virgil as he proceeded to prove, he wasn't homophobic or scared of touching by shoving his tongue into his mouth. At that moment the calm, logical part of Richie's mind knew there was going to be hell to pay for this. But Richie didn't care as the pleasure and pain numbed his mind to all thought. He knew Virgil would regret this but Richie didn't care because he wouldn't.

When it was over Virgil wouldn't look at him. He simply mumbled something that sounded like 'Sorry, bro,' before moving to the other side of the room and proceeding clean himself off and change into his street clothes.

Richie was glad that his numbed-brain didn't let him process the fact that he was pissed and hurt because he was sure he would have tried to kill Virgil. He simply stared at the ceiling. Maybe Virgil needed to think for a moment. Maybe he was just speechless.

But instead of a grand proclamation of love, Virgil simply mumbled, "See ya tomorrow, bro."

And suddenly Richie felt anger so hot, he was cold to his core. He didn't say a word as he thought darkly, that tomorrow would never come once Virgil actually allowed himself to comprehend what had just happened. His mind numbly added, "We're not brothers. Brothers don't have sex..."

Once the door closed, Richie's mind sprang to life:

_Virgil just fucked me. Everything's different now. I just had sex with my best friend. Best friends have sex all the time. Nothing will change. Liar, you know it will. Virgil will make sure of that. I'm not a virgin anymore. My ass is gonna be sore. I wonder if I can still walk. I just fucked my best friend. He's going to regret it. That hurts. I won't._

And that's the circle his mind ran over and over as his hands pulled the soiled clothing off. And as he stood cleaning himself, Richie felt tears slide down his cheeks. It happened to be the first moment of many, he felt like a post-virginal, hormonal girl.

That was exactly how he felt now lying on his bed, reaching a hand to touch a damp cheek.

Tomorrow_ had _never come for either them because Richie had stayed away from the Hawkins residence for a week and in school he avoided Virgil like a nasty plague. Richie was both hurt and consoled by the fact that Virgil made no real effort to talk to him either. He didn't want to talk about it just yet, so whenever ever Virgil tried to wave him over he'd just resist the urge to flip him off, nod his head, and then duck out of sight. It didn't help to see Daisy attached to Virgil's arm everywhere he went. It seemed like Richie's absence didn't make any difference.

So, when he finally decided to drag his sniveling ass to the Hawkins' doorstep, he was crushed to find Virgil was out with Daisy and annoyed when Sharon hauled him inside to play 20 questions, to which he gave 20 three-word answers. He doubted Sharon believed any answer, especially the allergy excuse.

After nearly fighting his way out of the house and barely controlling the impulse to mutter something particularly profane and rude at Sharon for being so damn nosey, Richie resolved he wasn't going back to the Hawkins house or the gas station of solitude unless he sure Virgil wouldn't be there and it was absolutely necessary. But being that him and his dad rarely argued anymore, just ignored the other's existence, he doubted it would be necessary.

Richie sighed, he had rarely been to either place in weeks. This must be what it is like to be miles from sun. To be so consumed by the emotions provoked by the thought of one person, that you feel like every part of you would melt. That's how Richie felt. How he had always thought felt for Virgil. Except now it was worse, it was suffocation to him the point it was painful to breath and his only release would be to pull a _Virgil_: meaning he'd have to deny anything had happened.

But Richie couldn't do that. He couldn't think this into oblivion. This couldn't be locked in a box and rationalized to where it didn't hurt. It was only worsened by his lack of regret. To remember was one thing but to treasure the memory only complicated matters.

Richie growled with frustration before jumping up and marching downstairs. When he reached the living room, he met the sight of his mom sitting on the couch flipping channels. He swallowed the lump in his throat. She should know. He had to tell her. Most importantly he wanted to tell her. He raked a hand through his hair as he crossed the room and sat beside her.

She glanced at him expectantly.

Richie glanced at the clock and calculated that he had 6 hours until his dad got home. That was more than enough time to tell her everything he wanted. Maybe afterwards, he could resolve things with Virgil, and while he was at it maybe he could walk on water too.

"Mom," His voice wasn't calm, in fact it was shaking as he spoke, "There are some things...I need to tell you."

She moved closer and took his hand again, "I'm listening."

This time he let her hold his hand and at their entwined hands before taking a deep breath, "I'm gay."

Her reaction couldn't have shocked him more than if she had started screaming at him. She smiled and gripped him in a hug. He could swear she was sniffling as he hesitantly wrapped his arms arm her frame.

"Jesus, Mom, I didn't say I was dying..." He muttered, feeling more and more of his masculinity blowing away in the wind.

She pulled back and wiped her eyes hastily and laughed a little, "I know. I know. It's just that I've been waiting for you to tell me that for a while now."

Richie rolled his eyes, "Somehow I had feeling you knew."

She nodded, "I just wanted to hear it from you. I wanted you to trust me. You keep so many secrets, sometimes I feel I don't know you anymore." She smiled sadly, "I'm happy you trust me."

Richie felt his cheeks grow hot. "Yeah. Well. Shit." He muttered darkly, "I might as well go for broke."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, about that Virgil situation..."

And that's how the first half of Richie's healing begun. Talking to his mom had been refreshing and a bit uncomfortable. She had listened. Even though she said she wouldn't ask him to stop playing super-hero as Gear, he could tell she still wanted him to stop. He didn't divulge all the details of what had happened between him and Virgil, he figured she could do without the scarring. He merely hinted at a kiss gone wrong and their weird feelings and Virgil's problem with denial. She suggested he talk to Virgil and beat some sense into him. After all, they were best friends and had survived death, surely they could survive this. Richie wasn't too sure about that but he promised he would try. Maybe he could put all his girly crying behind himself and redeem himself.

End of part 1.

Author's Notes: 1 Is a quote taken from Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz the movie.

Look for "Inside I Still Am Empty"

Virgil's Pov.


	2. Inside I Still Am Empty

July 27, 2005

Fandom: Static Shock

"Inside I Still Am Empty'"

By: DarkSeductress

Pairing: Virgil/Richie

Part 2 of 3.

Disclaimer: Sadly enough, Static Shock does not belong to me. Lyric excerpt is take from "All That I've Got" by The Used.

Summary: Virgil reflects on the sex he had with Richie and realizes neither Daisy or all the denial in the world can stop how empty he feels.

So deep

That it didn't even bleeding catch me

I need something else

Would someone please just give me

Hit me, knock me out

And let me go back to sleep

I can laugh all I want

Inside I still am empty

I'll be just fine pretending

I'm not

I'm far from lonely

And it's all that I've got

Virgil Hawkins had been gifted with two super powers. One was pretty much a secret and only known by a few select people. The other was pretty much public forum and anyone who came in contact with Virgil knew about it.

Electromagnetic static.

Extreme denial.

His two most powerful assets.

If he was fighting a bang baby, he'd just use his electromagnetic powers to throw a garbage can at them.

If he had just fucked his best friend, who happened to be male, he'd just deny it ever happened in his mind and hope Richie had enough sanity left to do the same.

Wait a minute.

_Fuck his best friend?_

Oh yeah, he had done that. _Damn it_, his denial was working up until now. Up until he actually thought about what happened.

Why would he do such a thing? Why _did_ he do such a thing? Anger and frustration just weren't adding up anymore. And all the dates with Daisy weren't changing one little fact: Virgil was gay.

That's why he'd been so damn angry with Richie for 6 months. Riche being gay made Virgil have to deal with his own sexuality. It wasn't that Virgil was particularly adverse to being gay. (His father kept reminding him homosexuality wasn't the beginning or ending of one's universe.) It was just that Virgil's life happened to be complex enough without adding that attribute. So it wasn't until Richie admitted to being gay that Virgil had to face it.

He had to come to terms with a few facts: one being that spending almost every waking hour with another male was odd; two being that finding your male best friend cute for 8 years didn't mean he was effeminate, it meant you were gay; and three being that getting obscenely jealous of Backpack for getting more attention than you was disturbing.

So Virgil concluded he was gay and very much attracted to Richie and it was more than physical, which made it better. He didn't consider himself a sap but Virgil liked to think him and Richie were soul-mates. Virgil knew he'd never find another man or woman that connected with him so deeply. No one else could love Plantman comics, understand the joys and pains of being a superhero, and tolerate him being an asshole from time to time like Richie.

Sure Daisy knew who Plantman was but when he fell into a rant, most of the time she'd only stare at him like he'd grown a second head. Daisy didn't even know he was superhero, so how could she ever began to understand it? And sure Daisy tolerated his pissy attitudes but only in spurts and always wanted to know what was wrong. All Richie needed was one word or name and he instantly understood.

That was another weird thing, Virgil had a habit of comparing every girl he'd ever come across to Richie. It wasn't that Richie was perfect ( he may be a super-genius but he was far from that), he just seemed to compliment Virgil very well.

And Virgil had fucked things up really bad. And having a shitty patrol night was no excuse to fuck your best-friend. No date. No 'I love you.' Just sex. Virgil felt bad. That was not the way he wanted to come out to Richie or have their first time together go. Then he mumbled 'Sorry', took a shower, changed clothes, and just left.

Virgil now realized how completely fucked up that was. No amount of denial could undo how callous and inconsiderate his actions were. You didn't do that to the person you loved.

"See ya tomorrow, bro," was not what you were supposed to say after having sex with your best friend, especially if you didn't want tomorrow to come because you knew _this_ would be looming over your head.

He would have avoided himself, too.

The few times he had seen Richie, Virgil was with Daisy. Virgil tried to wave Richie over and throw a few half-assed jokes at him but each time Richie would pin him with a look so cold, Virgil justifiably felt like shit.

Things couldn't go back to how they used to be.

Virgil realized, he could laugh all he fucking wanted, but this problem wasn't going away and as long as he let it linger he'd continue to feel empty.

That's why 3 weeks later Virgil was sitting at the kitchen table, looking so damn glum, making waves in his cereal.

He didn't see the exasperated look Sharon threw him as she entered the room.

Sharon threw her hands up in the air, "Okay! I give. What's going on?"

Confusion was etched in Virgil's expression, "Huh..."

"What is your problem?" Sharon demanded.

"Ya know," Virgil muttered half-heartedly, "for a shrink, you sure lack finesse."

"You want finesse, make an appointment. And you still didn't answer my question." She snapped.

Virgil raised an eyebrow, "And why would you think anything's wrong?"

"Let's see, "Sharon began to count the reasons off on her fingers, "One, you haven't cracked a corny joke in 3 weeks. Two, your cracks about me have been weak. Three, you've been moping around the house. And four, your better half has notably been missing in action."

Virgil couldn't stop himself from feigning ignorance. He didn't want to talk to Sharon about this, even if she was a shrink, "My better half?"

"Yes! You remember Richie? Mr. Gear. Blond haired, near-sighted, scrawny white kid that loves green?" Sharon's arms were folded across her chest, her foot tapping the floor impatiently. This was going to take longer than she thought.

Virgil's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Richie's name.

"Um. Hmm. How did I know that you mopin' around was connected to Riche coming over last week looking just as pathetic?"

Virgil did not like the triumphant gleam in Sharon's eyes. But still she had his attention, "Riche came over last week?"

Sharon had to bite back a soft smile, "Yes. He did. He came to pick up some gadgets and some of his clothes. He got really weird when I asked him why his eyes were red."

"His eyes were red?" Virgil had a sinking feeling and suddenly his gloomy mood just got more sullen.

"Yeah. He said it was spring allergies but I'm not dumb. He's _never_ had spring allergies before." Sharon watched Virgil's shoulders slump and wondered what the hell was going on between the two of them. Was it that serious? They both seemed so miserable. But Sharon continued nonetheless. She wanted to gauge Virgil's reactions and body language. "I asked him what was wrong..."

"And...uh...what did he say?" Virgil's tongue felt so thick in his mouth, he could barely speak. If Richie had told Sharon, she'd be really disappointed in him, her opinion of him would really sink low. She already thought he needed to drop the hero-act and get a job. (What he didn't know was that every time he dragged his ass home injured, it wrecked Sharon's nerves and worried her, which caused her to act surly and bully him about getting a job.)

Sharon was taken back by his tone and demeanor. She'd never seen him that down before. Sharon sighed before moving to sit beside Virgil. She took a deep breath as she placed a hand on his arm. Her voice was soft and concerned. This wasn't time to play big bad sister. "Baby brother, what's wrong?"

The kitchen was completely silent as Sharon waited for Virgil to speak. Virgil could hear his heart beating in his ears. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Now was not the time to have to hyperventiliate. He'd faced death and aliens, he could talk to Sharon. Besides, she was being nice...for the moment, anyway.

He looked up at her, "Sharon..."

"Yea?" Sharon would wait. She had enough patience and if he didn't tell her, she'd just hit him with a pot.

"I'm gay." Virgil stated.

Sharon stared at him blankly and blinked, "Is that's what's wrong?"

Virgil sputtered for a moment, "What?"

"Is that why you two are acting so stupid?" Sharon pulled her hand back. Of all the ridiculous...

"No." Virgil drew the word out. "So...it doesn't bother you?"

Sharon raised a sardonic eyebrow, "It's not news, Virgil. Not to me. Not to anyone."

"You already knew?" Virgil exclaimed.

Sharon shrugged, "You're an open book. Daddy and I knew before you knew."

"Dad knows!" Virgil jumped up from the table. "I can't believe this! How could you two know!"

"Virgil, the way you look at Richie...is not entirely subtle." Sharon glared. Virgil was one moody brat. First, he's depressed. Now, he's shocked.

Virgil stared at her, "So, you probably know Richie's gay, too."

"Yes."

"Oh." Virgil felt deflated. Well, that's one thing he didn't have to explain. He only hoped she'd take what was really wrong this well. He leaned against the counter.

He stared at Sharon.

She stared at him.

She tapped her fingers against the table.

After a few minutes, Sharon finally snapped, "So?"

"So what?" Virgil muttered back.

"What the hell happened? Did you freak on Richie when he told you he was gay? Or did he freak on you?" She demanded.

Virgil opened his mouth, then closed it. "Richie didn't freak on me. I didn't tell him."

Sharon closed her eyes. Virgil was purposely talking around the situation. This was getting frustrating. She was close to picking a pot and beating away. "Virgil. Just tell me what happened."

"If only it were that easy." Virgil stated sullenly. He grimaced as he thought, which wasn't missed by Sharon.

"Virgil..." The way Sharon ground his name out let him know he better get talking or else.

"I had sex with Richie." Virgil blurted before he could stop himself.

By the expression on Sharon's face, Virgil was sure if she had been drinking something the kitchen would have been sprayed with it.

Sharon opened her mouth. Then closed it. Then she opened it again, "Let me get this straight. You are gay. Richie is gay. You know Richie is gay. Richie doesn't know you're gay. And yet, somehow, the two of you managed to have sex?"

Virgil nodded slowly, "Yeah. That's pretty much it."

"And now the two of you are avoiding each other and making yourselves miserable?" Sharon rubbed her temples.

Virgil edged away from Sharon, "You don't understand. It's complicated."

Sharon crossed her arms, "You're best friends. How complicated can it be? Just talk about it. Anyone can see what you two idiots are doing now, isn't helping either of you."

"Sharon...Just saying I'm sorry isn't going to work. I've already tried. I don't think I can fix this." Virgil sighed miserably.

Sharon rose from the table and moved to stand beside Virgil. Virgil studied Sharon's expression from the corner of his eye, she didn't look pissed but you could never tell.

"Virgil," Sharon sighed, moving closer to him until their shoulder's touched, "You really screwed up. I know you think this can't be fixed, but you have to try. You two are friends. Just talk to him and keep talking until he listens."

"What if he doesn't want to be friends anymore? He probably thinks I took advantage of him because he's gay." Virgil stared at his hands unable to meet Sharon's eyes.

"Is that why you had sex with him? Because he was around and he's gay?" Sharon purposefully used an accusatory tone.

"No!" Virgil snapped. "I would never do that to Richie. I would never use him. I love him, okay? Maybe I got caught up in the moment. Maybe I had been acting stupid for a long time. But I'd never just use him."

"Just tell him that!" Sharon growled. "Tell him what you just told me."

"But Sharon-"

"Shut up, Virgil. It is that easy. Fix it or I'll tell Dad." She threatened.

Virgil looked horrified, "You can't."

"I can and I will. Especially, if I have to go through one more week of you moping around here. It's annoying." Sharon smirked as she pushed away from the counter.

"Okay...Alright. Fine. I'll talk to him." Virgil conceded.

"Good. You can fix this." Sharon smiled. Before she reached the door, she paused, "Oh and Virgil, don't have Daisy hanging around when you go to talk to him."

She was gone before Virgil could open his mouth.

_Just talking _sounded so easy to say, but Virgil knew it would be hard to accomplish. There was so much to say. So much to apologize for and he wasn't even sure where he should start or if Richie would even let him. How do friends always fuck things up the worse with each other? Virgil would never know. He only knew he'd only continue to feel empty until the situation was resolved. If they could just remain friends, Virgil would be appeased. If they could become something more, Virgil would be extremely pleased. Just as long as something happened. _Just talking _might drive the emptiness away.

End of part 2.

Look for "You and Me"

The resolution

Author's Note: I'd like to take some time to thank some people who have really urged me forward and left wonderful reviews that got me off my lazy ass to finish this part. Keep it coming, I'll need it as I work on the third part lol. Seriously though, thank you all so much for your support. It means a lot.

Livejournal community -thegasstation : tobiasdominik, jigsaws231, saturnshikari

Livejournal community - virichie: reigningfyre

Fanfiction - Net: Ru Shin, Doom Squirrel, misswildfire, MsManga, Ebon's girl

Adultfanfiction- Net: AltarofWishes, Onyxlight, Si, misswildfire, Satori, No Such Thing as Happy Endings, Amarin Rose, Ru-Shin

If I missed anyone, I'm sorry. Thank you, too.


	3. If You Ask Me, I'm Ready

February 15, 2012

Fandom: Static Shock

"If You Ask Me, I'm Ready"

By: DarkSeductress/darkemptyheart

Pairing: Virgil/Richie

Part 3 of 3.

Disclaimer: Sadly enough, Static Shock does not belong to me. Lyric excerpt is take from "Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)" by Alicia Keys.

Summary: Richie and Virgil have finally had enough of their 6 month awkward dance and 3 weeks of misery, so after a bit of advice and a kick in the ass, they decide to resolve their issues for better or worse.

Moment of honesty

Someone's got to take the lead tonight

Who's it gonna be?

I'm gonna sit right here and tell you all that comes to me

If you have something to say

You should say it right now

You give me a feeling that I never felt before

It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore

And I can't take it

….If you ask me, I'm ready…

3 weeks Richie decided, after the conversation with his mom, was more than enough time for Virgil to deal with his denial and for his own depression and shock to wear off. It was time for a very long overdue chat that may or may not involve a few busted lips. When his mom saw the determined steel in his eyes, she simply gave him a peck on the cheek and whispered good luck. As Richie headed to school, he hoped good luck wouldn't be needed, but knowing him and Virgil things would probably go to hell fast before the situation even got close to being resolved, the only solution was to stick it out (even if he started crying like a girl again….his poor masculinity).

Walking to school was a lonely blur without Virgil, but it gave his super-genius time to anticipate every outcome the talk he and Virgil were going have very soon. Every outcome had to be discounted though based on one variable: Virgil. Virgil was one of the most unpredictable people Richie had ever met, but lately he had been rather erratic: from his weird behavior when Richie admitted his sexuality (which went on for 6 damn months) to the sudden steamy rough sex they had after the argument over said behavior. Even Richie's genius brain, now that he'd stopped moping and was trying to examine things rationally, still couldn't puzzle out Virgil's behavior. So this was one outcome Richie couldn't predict with any accuracy.

With that thought a frown marred Richie's face as he entered Dakota High. Richie paused when he reached his locker and scanned the hall for his incorrigible dread-locked best friend and partner. The blonde's frown morphed into a glare, his eyes narrowed in anger as he spotted Virgil talking to Daisy _again_. Why did Virgil even have sex with him if he really wanted her? What the fucking hell was Virgil playing at? Maybe there was nothing left to talk about. The brown-skinned super-hero had been glued to the delectable Daisy's side the last 3 weeks. It had to be a sign, a statement of what or rather who Virgil actually wanted and Richie had to be too much of an idiot to not comprehend what was right in his face (some genius he was). Sex sometimes, was just sex, it didn't mean anything to a lot of people….and shit, he could feel tears welling up in his eyes, at least this time his anger was drowning out the pain.

Richie was so zoned into his thoughts, he didn't notice Virgil had crossed the hall and was standing an arm length away from him.

A hand squeezed his shoulder. Richie instinctively pulled back, but the grip was strong and brought him directly into the present staring into Virgil's concerned and guilty eyes.

"Hey, Rich, man, you okay? I've been trying to get your attention for 5 minutes."

Richie blinked back tears (he'd be damned if he cried in the middle of Dakota High) and moved Virgil's hand a bit harsher than necessary. He ignored the hurt that flashed across Virgil's face as he slammed his locker shut hard enough to dent making several students pause mid-conversation. He wished it was Virgil's head.

"I'm fine." He snapped, his face blank as he prepared to go to class.

"We need to talk, Rich." Virgil sighed, running a hand nervously through his dreads.

Richie gritted his teeth, but kept his facial expression blank, "I don't think there's anything to talk about, _Virgil_, especially not in the middle of a crowded hallway."

Virgil winced, they both knew Richie only said his name in that tone when he was either questioning Virgil's intelligence or very, very, pissed. It didn't take a genius to guess which situation was occurring. "There's a lot to talk about, Richie, and you're right we can't hash this out here. You want to skiv out before the bell rings?"

Richie tilted his head to the side considering, before asking one of the questions that would decide how hard he'd punch Virgil once they were alone, "What about Daisy?"

He watched the brown-skinned young man's face go from confusion to guilt to realization to a disconcerted smile. "Oh, Daisy….she was just threatening my life if I didn't apologize to you for whatever I did. Said she didn't want her body found in some alley because you were getting the wrong impression and decided to kill her. How'd she kill me after being dead, I don't know…." Virgil stopped at Richie's un-amused glare.

Richie's eyes were furious before his face blanked again. "So you're apologizing because your girlfriend told you to and she has no idea why you should in the first place?"

Virgil gave a frustrated huff. "First, Daisy is not my girlfriend. Second, she's not reason I want to apologize. I actually had a surprisingly normal conversation with Sharon, she pulled out her shrink powers and man, that was scary and-"

"So Sharon's why you're apologizing?" Richie demanded.

"Damn it, Richie, why are you making this so difficult?" Virgil snapped. Richie's raised-eyebrow questioned his intelligence in thinking anything about this would be easy. Virgil nodded, "Okay, stupid question. Look, it took a few kicks to ass, but _I_ want to talk to you, Richie. There are things I want to explain that I can't here- Oh, and look there's the bell. So are we going to do this not?"

Richie ran a hand over his face. Okay, Virgil wasn't dating Daisy, that was good to know, but what the fuck had been going on the last 3 weeks? An apology, huh, hadn't he got a half-assed one the night in question? Did he really need the knife twisted deeper with a long, rambling one? And he'd never say it aloud, but Sharon was nosy bitch and only time would tell if that was good or bad thing. All this bullshit had to resolved and now was better than later.

Richie nodded. "Fine. Let's go to the gas station."

It was Virgil's turn to raise eyebrow, asking if they really wanted to go back to beginning of this drama.

Richie shrugged, "It's the only place we'll have any privacy if I want to sock you in the jaw."

Virgil gave a nervous laugh as he moved toward the exit against the flow of the crowd that died when he realized a few things: Richie was most definitely not joking and Superman he may not be but Richie had developed a mean right-hook in the few years they'd started this whole super-hero biz.

****1234****abc****

This morning when Virgil had woke up, he decided today would be the _day_. The day he channeled a little Static bravery and faced the problem with him and Richie head on. After all, if he didn't fix this soon, he'd have the Nag of His Life aka Sharon rat him out to Pop, and that just couldn't happen. Beyond that, Richie was his best friend and partner, something Virgil didn't want to lose ever. He simply missed him and he had a feeling he was beginning to grate on Daisy's last nerve with his hanging about as much as she was grating on his own.

So he fled the house from Sharon's dirty, threatening stare and Pop's confused goodbye and made his way to halfway spot he and his partner-in-crime-fighting usually met up. To Virgil's disappoint, not surprise, Richie was a no-show after 10 minutes. Undeterred Virgil continued to Dakota High hoping he could catch the blonde at the entrance. His plan was thwarted by Daisy dragging him away for a chat, which she wouldn't be swayed from no matter how much fast-talking he did. The conversation was basically one-sided: whatever he'd done or said, he had better un-do it or un-say, apologize, grovel, beg and do whatever he had to and make up with Richie Foley, because she was tired of chills she got every time Richie glanced her way, she knew he was plotting her messy death (Virgil didn't have the heart to tell her, Richie probably was, but would never do it, and if he did he'd never get caught being a genius and all), so if Richie killed her, she was going to kill Virgil (he scratched his dreads at that), and besides everyone thought her and Virgil were dating again and it was killing her game, so fix it or else.

Halfway through Daisy's spectacular rant, Virgil noticed Richie enter and glance their way once he reached his locker. The forlorn-pained expression on his face ripped straight through Virgil's heart (the one thing Sharon had warned him of, not having Daisy around and damn…). Fucking hell, he hadn't let things go too long, had he? Daisy had stopped mid-rant at the disheartened look on Virgil's face and followed his gaze to Richie's equally heartbroken face.

Her voice had been soft, her expression thoughtful, "Please fix this, Virgil. It's never too late." She turned to leave before adding, "And for God's sake, let him know I'm not a threat."

The whole conversation with Richie had been painful from the tears in his eyes to the blanking of his emotions, something he usually did when the subject was his father, which left Virgil feeling like an even bigger heel. Virgil was a bit indignant that Richie would think anyone had to force him into wanting to deal with this; work him up to it or kick him in the ass, yeah, but he wasn't being forced into anything. But he had acted quite the asshole for the past 6 months, so, maybe Richie had reason to doubt his motivations. He'd prove Richie wrong, though.

It couldn't be too late to fix this. It wasn't too late. Virgil kept repeating those words in his mind as they slipped out the school and found an unoccupied alley far away enough he could switch to Static.

"We'll get there faster on my disk than on foot." Virgil offered as an explanation as he started shifting into his Static gear and pulled his disk out and zapped it.

"Sounds good." Richie shrugged, reaching for Virgil's book-bag once he finished.

Virgil climbed on the disk letting the extra electromagnetic discharge bleed into him before offering Richie a hand up (there'd been a few times in the past when he hadn't taken that precaution and given someone quite a shock and bad hair day, and right now he didn't need Richie any madder at him).

With Richie's arms wrapped around his waist (that gave Virgil hope), Static took the quickest and most inconspicuous route to the gas station of solitude. He didn't want anyone to see Richie with Static and put two and two together to realize Richie is Gear. Their arrival was uneventful, but as soon as they entered and Richie climbed off the disk, the tension skyrocketed. Maybe, Static thought nervously, they should have commandeered an empty classroom or alleyway, anywhere but where his fuck-up had began.

Virgil removed his mask and coat as he warily watched Richie carefully place their book-bags down and ordered Back-Pack to release. Watching Back-Pack scuttle down Richie's back and Richie ignore the sofa to lean against a wall, Virgil got the feeling his partner was really planning on giving him a few hard right-hooks if his explanations didn't cut muster.

"You wanted to talk, apologize, whatever. So do it." Richie stated flatly breaking the silence.

Virgil scrubbed at his face before staring at the blonde's emotionless face. "Richie, about that night…I'm sorry, bro…I just-"

"It's funny. You said the same thing that very night. If you're just going to repeat yourself, I've got better things to do." It was said in that same flat voice that was driving Virgil crazy.

"Don't fucking do that!" Virgil snapped angrily. "Don't go all Vulcan and Mr. Spock on me, Richie! Stop pretending you don't feel anything! I fucked up, okay? Big time and I'm trying-"

"Trying to say sorry again? Heard it the first time. _So fuck you, Virgil_." Richie seethed stalking closer. "You don't know half of what I've been feeling. Going Vulcan right now is the only thing stopping me from kickin' your fuckin' ass."

Virgil's hands squeezed into fists as he tried to tame his temper. "If you'd stop fuckin' interrupting me like some girl, I'd-" He was stopped mid-sentence by a vicious right hook to the jaw. Virgil staggered back, surprised before he rushed forward and shoved Richie hard against wall holding him there with his body. Richie struggled back, but Virgil used a little static-cling to keep the livid blonde still and his jaw safe. A feral-smile spread across his lips, "I'm letting you have that one hit free, Rich, because honestly, I've been such a dick for so long, I had it coming, but I don't want to fight. And now that you have that outta your system, just maybe you'll listen to me."

"Afraid I'll drop your ass, _Static_?" Richie taunted nastily.

"You'd always drop my ass as Gear or yourself because I simply won't hit you unless you really piss me off and right now, I'm close to being really pissed off." Virgil smiled nastily, before releasing the static-cling. The smile dropped as he took a few steps back and allowed Richie to reorient himself. His voice was small as he asked "Why are we threatening each other? We should be saving that shit for Hotstreak or something. We're still best friends right? I-I know I fucked up, but you don't hate me, do you, Richie?" Virgil sunk down to the floor and pulled his knees close to his chest.

Richie's anger deflated as he slide down the wall and mirrored Virgil's pose. He sighed unhappily, "I don't hate you, Vee. I don't think anything will ever stop us from being best friends, but you really fucked up. _Big time_. And I don't know if things can go back the way they were." Richie buried his face in his knees. "You treated me like a leper for months, even after you said things were cool with me being gay. Then you fucked me. We had sex and you just left. You ignore me and attach yourself to Daisy. What the fucking hell am I supposed to think? Did you just use me? I don't get it." Richie's face was a picture of anguish when he looked up to meet Virgil's eyes. "Just tell me why?"

"Shit, Richie, I'd never use you. How could you even…" Virgil shook his head, "I guess I can see where you got that impression. But you have to know, I'd never use you. I didn't use you. I love you."

There was a pause before Richie snorted incredulously, "Whatever."

"Honest, Rich, I love you. I'm in love with you." Virgil leaned forward his whole body brimming with earnestness.

"Riiggght. Must be a side effect of the sex." Richie smiled humorlessly.

Virgil inched forward a frown on his face. "Don't say that. It has nothing to do with sex. Let me explain."

"It'd better be good, Vee, because right now I think you're full of shit." Richie warned warily.

Virgil nodded vigorously before taking a deep breath. "When you told me you're gay, it sent my head spinning, man. Not that I had problem with it because I didn't. It just made me examine things about myself. Like how much time I spend with you. Even without Static and Gear, we're together _most_ of the time. And I enjoy it. I can't imagine spending that much time with anyone but you. I've cancelled dates just to get the new Plantman comic with you."

"You cancelled dates to hang out with me? You never told me that." Richie's head tilted to the side, his face thoughtful.

Virgil flushed and shrugged. "Was never a big deal to me, but my dates, especially Daisy, started to get pretty pissed. It got me thinking, that's not exactly something a straight dude would do, right? Blow off dates to hang out with his cute male friend…."

Richie made a face. "I am so not _cute_. _Cute_ is for girls, Vee."

Virgil grinned. "I've never found a girl I thought was cute. Pretty, sure, but cute, nu-uh. You're the only cute person I know. And if you'd stop living in your head half the time you'd see I'm not the only person to think so."

Richie waved a hand. "Whatever. Continue with your self-discovery and venture into jack-assery."

That made Virgil's grin dim. "Well, I realized no one will ever understand me like you do. That I'm world class geek that only plays at being cool. All the superhero bullshit I go through. Even before you became Gear, you were always there helping me. And you deal with me being a smart-ass very well. And well, I thought…." Virgil flushed again before mumbling, "I think we're soul mates."

Richie's mouth floundered for a moment. Virgil couldn't possibly be serious. He stared at Virgil very hard: he noticed the passion in his eyes, the intensity of his expression. This was obviously something Virgil believed wholeheartedly….so, then again, maybe he was serious. After a stretch of silence, Richie's voice was soft, "You're not feeding me a line, are you? You're for real about this?"

Hazel eyes met intense, determined brown eyes. "Who understands you best, Richie? Who accepts you completely? Who can you trust to always have your back?"

Richie swallowed thickly, "Okay. Okay. If you believe that, what the hell happened, Vee?"

Virgil's voice was just as thick when he answered back. "I didn't realize this all at once, Rich. You know how dense I can be. It took me awhile to come to terms with all of it. Then that patrol happened. You were angry at me and you had every right. And I wanted to show you, show you exactly how I felt. It went further than I wanted. I don't regret it all though. I always jump head-first into shit, so I couldn't stop at a kiss. I wanted you. All of you. I still want you." He paused to take a breath, his eyes still burning into Richie's shocked ones. "I, uh, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

The blonde blushed and had to blink a few times, "Hurt me? Vee, I was okay."

Virgil crawled forward until he could search Richie's face. "Be honest, Rich. I was kinda rough. I wasn't thinking straight. I should have stayed that night and made sure you were okay."

"Virgil, really, I was fine. You saw me in class afterward, did I look okay?"

Virgil leaned back on his hunches. "You looked fine, but I didn't know for sure."

There was a pause before Richie asked, "Why didn't you stay that night?"

"I was scared." Virgil sighed. "You didn't even know I was gay, but I jumped you anyway. I was scared once you came to your senses you'd kick my ass." He flashed a humorless smile, then his face went solemn again. "I didn't know what you were thinking. Didn't think you'd want to see me, so I avoided you. I thought I wrecked our friendship."

"You almost did." Richie murmured softly running a hand through his hair. Virgil only nodded. "And what about Daisy?"

Virgil rolled his eyes, "Nothing was going on there. Daisy mostly found my moping pitiful and let me hang around. So we weren't actually _dating_ despite popular belief. Been there, done that. Not reliable boyfriend material and all that. She was actually getting creeped out by your glares. This morning she was ordering me to grovel before you were found over her dead body and I was to tell you she isn't a threat."

Richie snorted darkly. "I know ten ways to kill her without leaving a trace and I'd never be found over her body. Not even Bats would solve that mystery. Not that I'd actually do it though."

"Yeaah. I didn't think it'd be smart to tell her that." Virgil raised an eyebrow. "Ya know, Rich, you're the scariest person I know."

Richie grinned. "Even scarier than Bats and GL?"

Virgil shuddered jokingly, "Oh definitely. With them the intimidation factor is upfront. With you it's stealthy, you never see it coming til it's too late."

"Good." Richie pinned him with an intense stare over his glasses. "Because if you ever pull some shit like this again, the Justice League will be wondering why Static decided to take a sudden permanent vacation, bro."

Virgil solemnly nodded. "Thanks for warning."

Silence settled for a moment. Not quite comfortable, but intense with _something_ as they stared at each other.

"So soul mates, huh?" A smirk curved Richie's lips as he leered at Virgil in full Static uniform.

Virgil licked his lips, "Definitely, Rich."

Richie tapped his chin with a finger. "I'm not sure I can be so easily convinced."

A burst of static-electricity had Richie straddling Virgil's hips before their lips met in a slow, sensuous kiss. The kiss left them both panting and burning with lust. "Dangerous move there, Spark-Boy." Richie teased against Virgil's neck.

"I won't hurt you, brain-boy." Virgil teased back.

"At least not on purpose." Richie snorted.

"And it's the intent that counts." Virgil gave a cheeky grin.

Richie rolled his eyes. "Just remember. Your body. Never found."

"Will never forget it." Virgil promised before pulling him in for another long kiss. "We can go slow this time? I, uh, read up on a few things."

Richie grinned, "Let's move this to the couch."

The resolution hadn't been as violent or bloody as Virgil or Richie thought it would be. There might still be a few lingering issues but for such a fucked up beginning, it appeared as though things had equaled out and would generally be okay, which was really all any couple of junior superheroes could ask for. Richie couldn't find it inside to be too pissed and Virgil was just relieved he hadn't lost his soul mate. They'd both shared the lead and now they were ready.

~Fin~

Ending Author's Note: I know this conclusion has been 7 years in the making and a lot of fans of this story had probably given up hope. I apologize for the wait, but the last 7 years have been hell. In 2007, my mom was diagnosed with cancer and there was another family crisis I will not get into happening around the same time. My mother is now in remission, but it was a long, painful journey and as much as I wanted to write, it just wouldn't flow for me. So I apologize for wait and I'm eternally grateful to every person who ever added this story to their favorites or alert list or community and all the reviews I've gotten. All of it kept this story in the back of my mind and fueled my determination to finish it. It means more to me than I can possibly say. Thank you. I hope everyone enjoys the conclusion, I know it felt wonderful to write it.

Xoxox DarkSeductress/darkemptyheart


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